A shot of a smile
by Calling.the.Storm
Summary: Ameya Aya (23), a young artist moved to Ikebukuro with her brother not knowing the well know stories of the place. Although she was not looking for romance, it seemed to happen with the strongest man in Ikebukuro.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! CTS here putting up some stories from Wattpad. This one is an ShizuoXOC! I hope you enjoy, Durarara fans!**

**-CTS TT^TT**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Welcome to Ikebukuro.**

"Thank you very much!" I bowed and waved at the leaving moving van. Looking back at the new apartment building, I gave a strong nod. "Okay,"

It was a warm spring day in Ikebukuro, bright sun, cloudless blue sky, a gentle wind blew around me. Today was going to be a good day,

Stretching my arms, I pulled out the hair elastic from my semi-long black hair letting it rest on my shoulders. Long-sleeved dress shirt over a black undershirt, with jeans and sneakers. Taking a look at time, I sighed and walked in to the apartment room. Taking my bag and brown jacket, I quickly headed off to the train station. Through the crowd of people, I squeezed through to see the tall, brown haired boy leaning against the wall, "Nawaki," I called, his head turned to me and a smile grew on his face.

"Aya-nee-san," I waved at him and he came to me.

"Sorry, did I make you wait?" He shook his head,

"No, I just got off."

"That's good. Now, let's go. We have to unpack," We headed out and walked down the road to the apartment.

"Thanks, Nee-chan." Nawaki said, my head turned back to him.

"Eh?"

"You gave up your job in Hokkaido, didn't you?" I sighed and looked forward.

"What are you saying?" I replied back, "It was more convenient to move here with another job here, And with you going to Raira," I gave him a warm smile. "Now, smile," I took out a camera and took a quick shot of my brother, "Nice shot!"

"H-hey, Nee-san." I smiled and laughed.

"Hurry up, we have a lot of work-"

Then out of nowhere, a trashcan from the convenience store came landing in front of me. Our mouth agape, we turned out heads to the direction of where the trashcan came flying from.

"IZAYA!" We saw a tall black hair man run by us, and then a blonde hair bartender ran past us chasing the man. Our eyes followed the two.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Who know… Entertainers?" Nawaki replied, his eyes still staring at the direction of where the men ran.

"Well, let's get going," I just walked away.

"Eh? H-hey, Nee-san?!" Nawaki ran after me.

"Hurry up~" I sang.

* * *

_I'm Ameya Aya, I moved to Ikebukuro with my brother. Well, it's not the first time I moved to an unknown city and lived with my brother. Occupation: photographer and artist, hobbies: taking photos, painting and soccer. There's nothing really special about me. My brother is Ameya Nawaki, he just turned 16 and is going to high school. Tall, brown hair, fairly good-looking and kind. He is good at drawing and sketches, and fairly good at sport. The one and only person I have to protect._

* * *

"You'll love the place, it's really nice." I told him as we walked up the stairs. "The view is great too." The door unlocked and we entered the bright room with a great view of the city.

"Wow," Nawaki said in awe.

"Amazing isn't it?"

"Yeah," Setting down my things, I turned to Nawaki and smiled.

"Okay," I rolled up my sleeves. "Let's get unpacking." Taking a few clips, I put my hair up in to a high pony tail.

"Yeah." I took the tape cutter and opened up the boxes,

"Oh, your room is the one nearest to the kitchen," I told him,

"Okay, thanks." I took out a few photo frames from the box and placed them on the bookshelf.

"We finally moved," I whispered to the picture of a boy the same age as Nawaki in a high school uniform. I clapped once and prayed for a second. Then Looked around the room, "I guess I'll have to go shopping for a bit of furniture," Then Nawaki came out of his room, "How do you like your room?" I asked moving a box to the kitchen.

"It's a lot more bigger than my last one."

"That's good," I walked over and began putting plates in to the cupboards, "Later do you want to go look around the place?"

"Yeah, sounds good," He took the box full of scrapbooks and albums.

"What do you want to have for dinner?" I asked looking at the time, 2:20 pm.

"What about that place we past by? Um… what was it called- oh, Russian Sushi?"

"Okay, sure."

After a few hours, almost all of the boxes were unpacked and the house became to feel less empty. I stood on the balcony staring at the sunset with my camera in my hands. My eyes wandered at the view of Ikebukuro, for some reason, it felt mysterious and a bit uneasy. I sighed and put my camera down.

"I'm tired," I told myself. I looked up at the sky, "We really came to Tokyo, didn't we?" Then the sound of tapping on the glass turned my head back to Nawaki.

"Nee-chan, what about we go out for a walk?" he suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds good," I walked back in and stretched my arms. Taking my bag and jacket, I smiled, "Let's go."

* * *

We roamed the place looking at shops and view. Walking down the streets of our new home, gathering new memories and images. It reminded me the time we both moved together for the first time…

"This place is amazing, Nee-chan!" Nawaki exclaimed. We were walking around the park, my eyes roamed the whole place and the people here. The air around me still felt mysterious. Suddenly, we heard a loud crash from behind and a vending machine was on the ground. Our heads turned back and we saw the bartender from before holding a stop sign.

"What-"

And again, the man from before ran past us with a grin.

"Maybe later, Shizu-chan!" he exclaimed,

"Wait, Izaya!" The bartender yelled. The other man sighed and pulled out a pocketknife. They both glared at each other and the bartender ran forward, Next thing I knew, I was standing in between them with on arm blocking the stop sign.

"Stop!" I yelled at both of them. The two stared at me, the man with the knife looked amused for some reason. I put my arms down and sighed, "You guys are causing public disturbance," I scold. I turned to the bartender, "And how the hell did you throw that?!" I asked pointing at the vending machine, then I turned to the other man, "And you, don't pull out sharp objects! It's dangerous."

"N-nee-san…" Nawaki said awkwardly.

"That is all," I turned and walked away.

"E-eh?! That's it? Is that okay, Nee-san?!" Nawaki asked.

"Yeah, I was just stating the point," I told him, "Let's go," Nawaki stared at me in shock, "Come on, weren't we going to go eat?"

"Is your arm okay?" he asked, I turned to him and smiled,

"Yup," I lifted my sleeve revealing a arm guard, "I wore this today," I said laughing in my usual tone. Nawaki's expression grew even more to a shock, "Good thing, huh?"

"Where the hell did you buy that?!" he yelled.

"Tehehe, secret."

Then another crash was heard and Nawaki grabbed me and ran.

"Eh- hey, Nawaki?" I looked back once more at the two men and gave a smile, "What a weird place…"

That was my first impression of the place…

* * *

Time skip!

* * *

"Wow, looks good!" I said taking pictures of Nawaki in the Raira Academy uniform. "You look cool, Nawaki!"

"T-thanks, Nee-san…" he stared at me with a sweat drop behind his head. He looked at the time and jumped a bit, "Eh- already this time?!" He grabbed his bag and lunch, "I'm going to be late for the ceremony!" he tripped over his own footing. I couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Are you okay?" He sat up.

"Yeah," he ran to the door and put on his shoes. "I'll be going," He said.

"Bye, be safe and have fun," I said waving at him with a smile. He gave me a smile back and ran off. I leaned on one side and let out a relaxed sigh, "Okay, what should I do today?" I asked myself looking at the picture sitting on the shelf. "Nii-san?"


	2. Chapter 2: Shot of the sky

_**Chapter 2: Shot of the Sky**_

"How did I get myself in to this?" I looked side to side at the group of men surrounding me. Most holding some kind of weapon or dangerous object of some sort, with not so friendly faces.

Letting out a deep sigh, I crossed my arms,

"Now, what to do?"

_Okay, hold it! Let's back track! Let's start this off with the night before this!_

* * *

Last night

* * *

"Heiwajima Shizuo?"

"Yeah, that blond bartender is Shizuo and the other guy with black hair was Orihara Izaya. They're well known in Ikebukuro,"

"Heh~" I said while fixing my old camera.

"But, they're both dangerous,"

"Well of course, one could throw things that shouldn't be thrown and the other holds sharp objects."

I leaned against the wall drinking my cup of tea. It's been a few days since we moved to Ikebukuro and we finally done moving in. Nawaki seems to be having fun at school and tells me many interesting stories when he comes home. Everything is going fine so far.

"Oh! And the Headless Rider!"

"Ah, I heard about that, a girl who rides on a black motorcycle and apparently doesn't have a head, right?"

"Yeah!" he said with a smile.

"I'm glad your having fun at school,"

"Yeah!"

"Did you make any friends?"

Nawaki nodded,

"Yeah," I smiled back and set my cup down on the table, picking up my camera. "When does your work start, Aya-nee?"

"Next week, the place is still being renovated." I looked back at the calendar. Due to a delay my break was extended for another week. Letting a sigh escape my mouth, I really don't like being lazy. Probably because I work too much…

* * *

"Then see you later," I told Nawaki, "Be careful on the way there."

"Yeah."

"Iterashai."

"Itekimasu."

Giving him a smile, we turned heading opposite direction.

Letting out a yawn, I rubbed my eyes a bit.

"I'm getting lazy…" I muttered. I wore a simple white shirt with a black, vest like top with blue skinny jeans and sneakers. It was nine in the morning, and I was up walking down the crowded streets.

"Look! It's the Headless rider!" someone yelled.

My head looked up and a girl on a black bike sped past me, making my hair fly in front of me. Just like the rumors, a girl wearing all black on a black bike with a helmet on who roams around Ikebukuro. I really didn't care if she was headless or not. The bike just vanished quickly with a loud screech.

"Wow," people chattered.

"Did you see that?"

"Yeah!"

I turned and started wandering off again. But suddenly, a large weight landed on my back.

"Aya-senpai!" a high pitch voice yelled. "Aha! It's really you!" I looked back at a short girl with brown eyes and short brown hair tied back in to a small ponytail. She wore a simple blue dress with white flats. "Long time no see!" She said. I stared at her and opened my mouth.

"Who are you?" I asked. She gasped and jumped off my back.

"Senpai! It's me! Aogawa!" She told me pointing at herself. Taking a thought back, I looked to the side. Then a light bulb blinked in my mind.

"Oh," I turned to her, "That Aogawa."

"Yes! That Aogawa, Senpai!" She embraced me again, "Long time no see!" She yelled again.

"A-ah, It's been a while," I told her, "You haven't changed…"

"You too, Senpai! Except for your height," I laughed. "And…" she started at my chest with envious eyes.

"Wh-what?" she looked up at me and shook her head.

"How tall are you now?"

"Eh- 170 cm,"*

"That's amazing, Senpai. You were 145 cm back at middle school."

"Well, it's been nine years,"

Maname looked around me, then asked me.

"Are you a model?"

I laughed at her question.

"No way. I'm a photographer," I told her.

"Heh~, but you're so pretty," She commented, "Besides that, why are you in Ikebukuro?" She asked.

"I moved here with my brother. He goes to Raira Academy."

"Nawaki-kun is here too? That's amazing-" the conversation was cut off by a soft buzzing coming from Maname's pocket. Quickly answering it she turned away, "Yes, this is Aogawa." She answered, "Yes, yes, I understand, yes." She hung up and sighed, "Geez," She turned to me, "I'm sorry, Senpai. I have work suddenly."

"It's okay, next time come over my place. We should catch up."

"Yeah!"

After exchanging phone numbers we said our goodbyes and took our paths. Walking around the town, I came to the park I came a few days back. I walked slowly looking up at the sky, comparing it to the sky in Kanagawa, it was cramped and small, at night the stars were invisible. Over there, the sky was vast and wide, surrounding me as if I was trapped there… back then, I just wanted to see beyond that, run away from where I stood. I just wanted to escape from the world I hated…

"Oya, What a surprise," a sudden voice called out. My head turned back at a fairly tall raven-haired man with amber eyes. I immediately realized who he was, Orihara Izaya.

"_What the hell does he want?_" I thought. Fully turning towards him, I stared at him with calm eyes, "May I help you?" I asked.

He just started at me.

"Um…"

"You're really an interesting person," he states.

"EH?" I backed away a bit feeling awkward, "What are you say-" before I could finish my sentence, Orihara backed away dodging a trash can, my eyes widen a bit.

"I-ZA-YA," a deep voice growled.

_"Oh great, him too?"_ I looked up at the bleach-haired bartender. I was standing in between of two insane guys again. Letting out a stressful sigh, I turned to leave. Immediately, I heard the ground cracking crash. Before I even got a meter away from the place, I was stopped.

"Wait," then Orihara jumped behind me and put his hands on my shoulders, "You can be my shield," he told me as he turned me towards Heiwajima Shizuo.

"Ha?" I looked back at Orihara, _"What's up with this guy?"_ Looking back at Heiwajima Shizuo, I let out a sigh, _"What did I get mixed up in?"_

Then I heard Heiwajima cracking his knuckles.

"Hey, Shizu-chan. Can you let me off the hook?" Orihara asked.

_"Coward,"_ I thought in my mind.

"Because someone could get hurt today," he patted my shoulder, "Like her."

"Oi, oi. You're the one hiding behind me."

I looked down at the ground and sighed again.

"You let her go, then I could beat the living crap out of you," I heard Heiwajima growl.

"Then," Orihara removed his hands from my shoulder, "Okay you can leave."

_"Finally," _I started walking away and Heiwajima went to kill Orihara. Just when I thought I could go back to my normal life, Orihara grabbed my arm and pulled me in front of him again.

"Not-"

I looked up and saw Heiwajima's fist coming right at me. My eyes widen and the next thing I knew, I was on top of him holding his arm back.

"Wow, that was fast," Orihara said, "You're pretty strong too,"

"What- what the hell?!" I yelled looking back at him, "Don't surprise me like that!" Orihara gave a smirk and turned,

"Well, I wasn't worried about that, Ameya Aya-san," my eyes widen,

"Why do you know my name?" He looked back at me,

"Oh, got to go! Bye, Aya-chan. Shizu-chan," then he turned and ran off leaving me in an awkward mood.

"Aya-chan?" great, now nicknames…

"Oi, how long are you going to be sitting on top of me?" I looked down at Heiwajima, the my face almost went pale,

"Ah- sorry!" I got up and backed away, "Are you okay?" I asked, he ignored me and got up, "Okay…"

"Che- he got away,"

Letting out a deep sigh, I heard my phone ring. Reaching it out of my bag, I answered to an unknown number,

"Yes, hello?"

"Hey, Aya-chan." My eyes widen, "Are you surprised?" Orihara's voice asked,

"W-w-w-why? Why do you know my phone number?" I turned away, _"He's a stalker…"_

"Putting that aside, can we talk a bit?"

_"Ha? You just said later, and now you want to talk? Calm down, Aya…"_ I let out a deep breath, "Why? I really don't have time-"

"But I have to return your camera," my eyes widen even more.

"Eh?" I opened my bag and looked through to find my camera nowhere inside, "Give it back!" I yelled in to the phone, "How the hell did you get it in the first place?!"

I heard him laugh on the other side of the line. Dropping my head, I let out a silent sigh.

"Where do you want me to go?"

* * *

Sitting at a small café, I let out a deep sigh, rubbing my forehead.

"Oh, Aya-chan!" I looked up at the creep who was throwing me around places. "Glad you can come."

"Can you just return my camera?" he sat down in front of me.

"Sure, but after we're done talking," I sighed.

"Fine," he smirked.

"You seem calm."

"I heard rumors about you, along with the Bleach-haired Bartender guy." He leaned back on his chair looking amused.

"Heh~ what did you hear?"

"Orihara Izaya, a underground informant who sells information, very dangerous. Also, the enemy of the Bleach-haired Bartender guy, Heiwajima Shizuo. Who is also known as Ikebukuro's strongest man," I took a breath, "That's all I know."

"So you heard quite a lot,"

"Only what others know, but…"

"But?"

"You're more like a creepy stalker," I honestly told him. Orihara seem to be more amused.

"Really? Why?"

Why? Did he really ask that?

"One, you suddenly come up to me and almost get me killed. Two, you know my phone number and steal my camera. Three, you refuse to give it back until I talk to you which lead me to this troublesome situation."

"Troublesome?" That's what he's bothered about? Before the conversation could continue, his phone rang. Orihara quickly answered and hung up after a few seconds. Letting out a sigh, he got up, "Sorry, I have work now," he set the camera down in front of me. "I hope to see you again," he left with a eerie smirk. The second he past through the doors, I took my camera to check it was working. It made a normal clicking noise.

"Good, it's not broken," I immediately left after that. I took a look at the time, "Oh, Nawaki should be out of school."

Walking down the streets, I felt others tailing me for some reason. I didn't look back, I just picked up my pace a bit more. Once I took a turn, I sprinted.

"Wait!"

"Don't let her go!"

"She's Orihara's women!"

What? What did they say?

"Why did it turn out that way?" I thought. Looking forward, another group of men stood blocking the way, "Che-" I stopped and looked around for another way to escape.

"There's no escape," I looked back at the man seems to be the one leading this group. "What are you going to do now, Orihara's wo-"

"I'm not his women," I stated, "I don't even know how I got involved in this!" I yelled back.

"Really? Then you'll be coming with us-" he put his hand on my waist and a fist hit his face shooting him back.

"Don't touch her," my eyes widen at the voice. Before I could say anything, he grabbed my arm and ran for it.

"After them!" I looked at Nawaki, he tightly gripped my arm.

"Nawaki…" he quickly turned and we hid in a convenience store. We got down literally holding out breath till we heard the guys pass. After catching out breaths, we both out a deep sigh. Nawaki looked at me.

"What were you doing all day?!" he yelled.

"That's what I want to know?!" I yelled back, "I just wanted to spend the day and relax!"

"Then why were you being chased by those guys?"

"I don't know!" I took a quick look out, "Okay, all clear," Nawaki nodded and we exited normally.

"There they are!" We immediately ran for it. It wasn't long till they were catching up. I looked back and took out a camera flash. Stopping, I turned to the man.

"Nee-san?!" The man stared at me, then I blinded him with a flash, "Wh-"Quickly grabbing Nawaki by the arm, I got away from them quickly.

* * *

"Geez, today was hectic," Nawaki sighed,

"Sorry," I apologized as I was spraying his forehead with disinfecting spray,

"Ouch-"

"S-sorry," I laughed, "I forgot to warn you," I placed a bandage on his head.

"And pulled me in to a pole," I got up and embraced his head.

"Sorry! Nawaki!" I cried, he sighed and patted my arm.

"Nee-chan, you're hurting my head."

"Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize."

"I know, but, sorry…" he sighed and patted my head.

"Thanks."


	3. Chapter 3: Attachments

**_Here's Chapter 3! There's very little Shizuo... But! But, I promise in the next chapter He'll have more show time!_**

**_Now on to the chapter!_**

**_Enjoy!_**

**_-CTS TT-TT_**

* * *

**_Chapter 3: Attachments_**

**_It's been over three weeks and a half since Nawaki and I moved to Ikebukuro. And, I can proudly say I'm working at the new business that finally opened. With everything around me setting down, I could relax a bit now… Most of the jobs that come around are making painting and photos for centerpieces for parties and art displays right now_.**

Even with that job, I work quickly getting my own art display ready.

"Ameya-san," I turned to one of my co-workers, "Isae-san is calling you," letting out a deep sigh, I nodded,

"Thank you, I'll go right away." I took my file and headed to the third floor of the building.

_I have no problems with the work. To be honest, it's quite easy. It's just the people who I work with is hard to deal with._

"Ameya! What the hell are these?!" my group leader yelled as he threw the photos on to the desk in front of me.

"What's wrong now, Isae?"

**_Isae Hideo… my Senpai since elementary school. I wonder why he's here? He's one of the most annoying people I've met in my whole life. He's probably a sibling of the Demon Lord…_**

"These photos suck."

**_Correction, he is the Demon Lord himself._**

"Ha?!" I slammed my hand on his desk, "What the hell do you mean?!" I yelled.

"Just as I said, they suck."

"Ha? Where?"

"All of it," I glared at him.

**_Augh, why is he my boss?_**

"Explain," I ordered. He didn't reply, "Oi, the lighting and the position is fine, what's wrong?" I asked.

"All-of-it," he leaned against his chair and sighed, "Can't you take better pictures? You're a pro aren't you?"

"Pictures are made to grasp moments or memories that words can't express, it's not easy to take a great picture."

"If you wanted to tell me what a photo is, you should have became an art teacher," he countered.

"Too much of a pain," I spatted, "Your eyes are probably going bad."

"Are you two arguing again, Senpai?" Mizaki asked.

"Shut up! You stay out of this!" we both yelled, then turned back glaring at each other.

**_But to be honest, he's like another older brother to me._**

"Retake them."

"No need."

**_Probably... I think..._**

We stood for a moment of silence.

"Retake them."

"No."

"Aya-"

"Augh, fine! After this other job," I yelled walking out of the room. "Go bald, Hideo!"

'Ah- Ameya-senpai!"

Pulling my hair up with a hairpin, I walked up to the room five doors away from the office. Closing the door behind me, I looked up at the blank canvas board sitting on the stand. Pulling on a dark apron, I picked up a few brush and sat down on the stool. I looking down, I closed my eyes.

_"Aya should draw anything you want," _

_"Aya's painting are always the best when you bring out your emotions,"_

Letting out a deep sigh, I looked up and nodded.

"Okay."

* * *

Nawaki's POV

* * *

It was a warm Sunday noon time. The warm sun was out and shining through out the city... If you could ignore some of the vending machines flying around... Anyways..

I was Walking down the halls of the newly structured building and came up to the first door on the right of the fifth door.

"Nee-chan, lunch-"

"Why can't you accept these? They're great." I heard on the other side of the door.

"I think she could do a lot better."

Not knowing what was going on, I knocked on the door and opened it. Two men talking in the room turned their attention to me. I looked to the older male sitting at his desk. My eyes widened.

"Ah- Hideo-san?!"

"Nawaki?" Hideo's eyes widen, then gave a light smirk, "You've gotten taller since the last time I saw you," I bowed politely.

"Hai, it's been a long time, Hideo-san."

"Who is this kid?" the man next to him asked.

"Ameya younger brother, Nawaki. Don't you remember?"

"Eh? Nawaki-kun?" he gave me a strange look, "Uwa… You look much more like your brother now."

"Ah- Thank you, Mizuki-san." I looked around the room, "Where's Nee-san?"

"Ameya-senpai is in the room five doors from this office, same side." Mizuki told me.

"Thank you," I bowed politely and walked to the room.

The second I entered the room, the smell of paints and clay filled my nose. Following the scent of freshly opened pain, I came to the small section with Nee-san sitting on a stool painting. She held the brush with a light grip, the paintbrush smoothly moving through the canvas board. Using warm and gentle spring colors with dark and strong natural colors, it was as if spring was reborn on the canvas. Nee-san's eyes focused and cleared, there was nothing disturbing her.

_**Ever since I could remember, Nee-san always had great concentration when it came to art. Everything thing she draws is mostly from the things she captured on photos or memories from before. Anyone who sees her art is amazed and fascinated by it. What ever she could think of on the topic she draws on, she brings it out of reality and draws it out as what she sees now. Nee-san is a true genius like my father.**_

I sat down behind her not wanting to disturb her during her trance. I just watched her paint the whole time. Even now I can watch and think back to when dad was still alive. Nee-san is just like him when she paints or takes picture.

"Nawaki? When did you get here?" Nee-san asked without looking back.

"Just a few minutes ago," I told her. She turned to me.

"You could have called out to me,"

I laughed lightly, "Sorry, I didn't want to disturb you," She pulled her hair out of the ponytail and got up from her stool. As she stretched her arms, she walked over to me with her soft smile.

"Okay, let's go get lunch then," she ruffled my hair.

"Yeah."

After a quick clean up, we headed out for lunch.

"What do you want to eat?" She asked.

"Anything, I guess," I replied. She let out a sigh.

"It can be anything, beside 'anything'." She told me.

"Fine, bread."

"Bread?"

"Yeah, melon pan, an-pan, age-pan, yakisoba-pan," I named. Nee-san gave a warm smile.

"Okay, got it," we went to a bakery close by and bought two bags full of bread.

"This much…?" I said with a sweat drop behind my head. We walked o a park and sat down to eat.

"Itadakimasu!" Nee-san began eating. I let out a sigh and took an melon bread from the bag. Surprisingly, the two bags were emptied quickly. "Gochisousama!" We sat drinking can coffee quietly.

"Ne, Nawaki." Nee-san suddenly spoke.

"Hm?"

"Don't you have a girlfriend?"

I choked on my coffee and took a spit take.

"Are you okay?"

"What are you saying?!" I yelled with a blush.

"Is it that hard to admit 'no'?"

I let out a sigh. "What about you, Nee-chan?" She looked forward and patted my head.

"I'm satisfied right now with everything right now, so I really don't need to have a boyfriend."

"But, wasn't it your dream to become a bride?" She started to laugh and put her can next to her.

"Probably back in Elementary school." She stated leaning back a bit, "I really think I'm fine that way. Besides, I never fell in love or had a crush so, I barely understand what it means to love someone and tell them I love them," she stared at the sky as a warm wind blew past us. I looked up at her.

Just that small moment, Nee-san looked sad, but she immediately turned to me with a smile.

"You don't have to worry about me, I can take care of myself," She told me patting my head.

"Oya, it's Ameya-kun!" I jumped at the voice and turned back to Kida and Ryuugamine.

"Kida-kun, Ryuugamine-kun…"

"Hey, Ameya-kun."

"Hey," the air suddenly felt uneasy.

"What are you doing? Hanging out with your girlfriend?" Kida asked. I immediately blushed and got up,

"No! She's my sister," Nee-san started laughing, "Nee-san!"

"Friends, Nawaki?" She asked.

"Y-yeah… they're in my class, Ryuugamine Mikado-kun and Kida Masaomi-kun," I introduced. She got up and bowed.

"Hello, I'm Ameya Aya. Thank you for taking care of Nawaki," She said politely.

"Hello," They both greeted.

Nee-san smiled a bit like she seemed relieved. She looked at her watch.

"Ah, Sorry Nawaki. I have to get back to work."

I nodded, "Okay, Nee-san. Be careful." She ruffled my head one more time.

"You don't have to worry about me, Nawaki." She smiled and walked off. Fixing my hair, I let out a heavy sigh.

"Your sister is pretty," Ryuugamine commented.

"What Mikado? Already hitting on her?"

"Wha- no! I was just saying as a comment." Kida smirked and put his arm around him.

"Give up, she probably has a boyfriend,"

"Nope, she's single."

"Seriously?" they looked at me in shock, "Maybe I have a shot then," he joked. I laughed a bit.

"Good luck then." I joked along.

"What does she do for a job?" Ryuugamine asked.

"She's an artist and photographer."

"Heh~"

"Anyways, Ameya, do you want to come to the movies with us?" Kida offered.

"No thanks, I still have homework I want to finish. Maybe next time."

"Really, then see ya."

"Yeah,"

"Bye, Ameya-kun."

"Bye." The two left and I headed home with a sigh. Walking through the crowded streets, I looked up at the sky. Scratching the back of my head, I sighed again.

"That's my line, Nee-chan."

* * *

Aya's POV

* * *

I entered the office room and was immediately dragged out by Hideo.

"Ameya! Let's go!"

"Ha? Where?"

"The sight for the retakes."

"Ha?! Now?"

"Yes, now." I sighed and followed him with to the sight. I set up my camera and took a deep breath.

Looking through the camera, I concentrated on the lighting and sight of the place. Before I could grasp the shot, a deep sigh disturbed my thoughts.

"Make sure they don't suck this time," Hideo told me drinking a can of coffee. I turned to him with a glare.

"Be quiet! I can't concentrate!" I yelled at him, "Sheesh!"

I turned away letting out a deep sigh. Concentrating once again and began snapping photos. Just then, a vending machine crashed in to the sight. My eyes widen slightly at the moment.

"What-" Hideo looked around.

I stood up and sighed.

"Geez, this again?" I scratched the back of my head as I started to clean up my equipment. "Let's go."

"EH?" I took Hideo by the arm and started walking off to the office. "Hm…" he finally said after walking for ten minutes.

"What?"

"I'm surprised you're not ticked off right now,"

"Eh?"

"Back then, you easily snapped when a yankee messed up your photo shoot." I sighed.

"Really? I don't remember." I looked forward, "Why mention that?"

"Just thought you changed."

"I don't think so."

"Really? I don't see you kicking around Yankees for no reason." I looked at him and smiled.

"I guess you're right, for once." He turned to me.

"Ha? What is that suppose to mean, Aya?" I turned to him with an evil smiled.

"I wonder." I took a step, "Demon lord," Then I started dashing.

"Wait, Aya!" he chased after me.

I turned back to him and laughed.

**_I truly believe that I'm happy with my life right now. Being surrounded by the things I love, I can live without being lonely._**

**_But, there's times I wonder… if there's someone here in this world who I can actually love and have that person return those feelings to me…_**


	4. Chapter 4: Bad Luck can Strike Hard

_Italics : Flash back_

**_Chapter 4: Bad Luck Can Strike… Hard_**

"Okay, um…" I scratched the side of my head with the butt of my pen. "What else is there to write?" I looked down at the small sheet of paper. "Hm?" I deeply thought. "Eto… um…"

"It's okay, Nee-chan." Nawaki set down a cup of coffee next to me, "I can take care of myself without a note," he told me, "It's only for one night anyway."

"Eh? But, I never left you alone in our last apartment!" I whined as I clung on to my dear baby brother.

"Nee-chan…" he sighed, "I'll be fine, I'm a high schooler now."

"That gets me even more worried," I told him with a pout.

"I'll be fine," Nawaki assured.

"Really?" I asked to confirm his answer.

"Yes, really."

"Really?"

"Yes," he laughed, "Why are you so worried?"

"I don't want you to be lonely," I told him fidgeting in my chair.

"I won't be lonely," I looked up at him as he drank his cup of coffee.

"You finally got a girlfriend?" he choked on his coffee and turned to me.

"NO!"

I giggled at his reaction.

* * *

_"Aya, it's done." My father called out._

_"Let me see!" _

_I turned back to the large canvas sitting on the stand. Painted with illuminating color, with a pale yellow background. Streaks of shining colors spun and curved as the small and wavy figures surrounding a small figure standing in the middle of the wind with her hands out. Her hair cascading down her back and fanned out at the bottom. Her dress creased and curved in the wind._

_"Pretty!" I told my father. My father smiled and patted my head with his large hands. "I want to draw something like that!" _

_"Aya can draw anything she likes. As long as it's from her heart," He told me with his warm smile._

_"Really?"_

_"Yeah, what do you want to draw, Aya?"_

_"Um~ Then, Aya wants to draw-"_

My eyes opened at the point of the dream. Lifting my head, I looked out the window from my seat in the train.

Like always, that dreams ends without an ending… from the distant memory, I never could grasp the ending line.

Sighing deeply, I sit up putting some of my hair behind my ear and stared at the passing sea view thinking about the past. As the view of the blue ocean passed, the one question roamed through my mind.

What did I want to draw then?

Ever since then… I have forgotten the important reason to my artistic touch…

The train stopped at Kanagawa Station, and the second the train doors opened, I was pushed out with the flood of people. Managing to get out of the crowd, I left the crowded streets and headed through familiar landscapes and paths. Looking around the nostalgic places, I stopped and took a deep breath of my hometown. Looking out to the blue water of the river by the road, I slightly sighed.

Eventually, I came to an large and wide, white building. Outside had a warm garden patch with blooming lilies and lavenders with many other flowers.

Some people dressed in their nurse uniform stood outside talking to patients as they enjoyed the warm spring air and smell.

Taking a deep breath, I walked in to the building and headed towards the front desk.

"Ano," I called out to the nurse working at the desk.

"Hai? How may I help you?"

"I'm Ameya Aya, I'm here for a visit to room 203."

"Oh, Ameya-san. Right this way."

I followed the nurse down the hall to the elevators. Going up to the second floor, we took a right and entered the third door.

"Ameya-san, you have a guest." The nurse called as she lightly knocked on the door.

"Hai~ please come in." The nurse opened the door and led me in to the small room simply decorated with a small bed, pictures of family on the shelves and a table in the middle of the room. "Akihiro, Takeru, we have a guest," A soft voice called out to the open space. "Mou, where can Aya and Nawaki be?"

The nurse walked to the wheel chair and turned to person sitting in it to face me. The women sitting in the wheel chair looked up at me with her pale purple irises. Her long black hair was down and her skin was lightly pale. She looked like she had lost some weight again.

"Who may you be?" the women asked in a soft and gentle voice. My fist clenched at first, but I took a deep breath and walked over the women. I got down in front of her with a weak smile.

"Okaa-san… it's me, Aya." I spoke softly.

"A…ya?"

"Yeah, it's Aya."

" Aya-chan…?" I put my hands over hers and smiled.

"Let's have tea, Okaa-san." My mother stared at me and nodded.

"Yeah…" I sat down at the table with her and took a cup of tea.

* * *

Walking off the train, my eyes remained on the ground. The sky already dark, the streets packed with people heading to clubs, or hanging out late with friends. Walking through the late streets of Ikebukuro, a frown remained visible on my face.

My mother has been like that for eleven years now. After my brother and father died, she went in to shock and tried to commit suicide. Even though the doctors were able to save her, she wasn't going to be the way she was before.

She still thinks dad and my brother are alive. She's stuck in that world forever, unless and miracle occurs.

Time to time, she would freak out, remembering events after their death and there were many incidents where she hurt herself or I got hurt.

I never brought Nawaki to visit her. He was only eight when this happened; I don't want the two to get hurt any further…

"Hey, Lady." An arm went over my shoulder. I looked up to a man with gelled hair and sunglasses. He wore baggy pants with a t-shirt and he had a yellow scarf. Immediately I knew he was bad news. I tried to back away, but bumped in to another body.

"Where do you think you're going?" I looked back forward and stepped forward. Keeping my head down, I stared at the ground and pulled my hat down, "Hey, don't be shy!"

"Yeah, baby. Why not come with us?" The man draped his arm over my shoulder and leaned on to me, "We'll show you a good time-" I pushed the man's arm off of me and I tried to walk away. Again, tried, but the man was quick and grabbed my wrist. "Whoa! Where do you think you're going?"

I clenched my teeth.

"Let go." I muttered. But his grip tightened as the man pulled me back and made me face him. He smirked and pulled out a pocket knife, waving it in my face.

"Come on, we're going to play-"

Then as if on que, an vending machine crashed down in front of us causing the man to jump a mile and release my wrist. I stepped back and massaged my wrist a bit, but immediately took the chance to escape from these men.

"H-Hey! She's getting away! Get her!"

I glanced back to see the two running after me with more of their friends joining them. Cursing for my carelessness, I looked ahead and just ran. Taking a turn to the alley way, I tripped over my own footing as I jumped over an trash can. And I realized, I haven't changed since my family broke apart…

_Running down the late night street, I slid out of the alley was colliding in to the brick wall. Wincing slightly in pain, I pushed myself off and sprinted. Covered in a few scratches and dirt, my clothes a bit tattered and ripped. I pushed down everything in front of me to stall some time. Taking in a sharp breath, I took a quick turn and-_

"Ah-" I was thrown back by a force of another body colliding in to me. I fell back on my heel and down I went, but instead of hitting the cold cement ground, an hand grabbed my arm and pulled me up. Getting my balance, I looked up to the person, "I'm very sorry-" My eyes met with the brown eyes of Ikebukuro's strongest man, Heiwajima Shizuo.

"Where'd she go?"

"This way, boss." My eyes widened and I looked back to see them in the crowd.

"Damn it." Immediately, I hid behind him, "I'm sorry, just stay put for a second, please."

"Ha?!"

"Sh!"

"There she is!"

"Geh-" I turned to run, but Heiwajima Shizuo grabbed my arm and kept me behind him.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" he asked the group of men. I glanced out and saw the fear in their eyes.

"Geh- you- wha-"

"What business do you have with this woman?" he asked nodding his head towards me.

"Eh- well, w-we were taking her out to have fun."

"Y-yeah, just having fun."

"Ha?" He growled. The men jumped out of their skin and put their hands up, shaking their heads side to side.

"No! Nothing!"

"Sorry for the disturbance." As quick they came, they ran off down the street. I let out a sigh of relief and looked up at him.

"Thanks, and sorry." Heiwajima Shizuo pushed his shade up, "Hmph," he muttered, "You're bleeding," he told me as he took out an cigarette.

"Eh?!" he pointed to my head. I wiped my forehead and saw half dried blood smeared on my hand. "Ah, I am." I thought about it, "Could it be when that vending machine flew over… or was it when I was running…?" I put my hand out, "Maa, never mind. Thanks again, Heiwajima-san." I bowed and turned to leave.

"They're there."

I stopped and glanced back to see them in the distance 'hiding' in such obvious place.

"Ah-" He took my shoulders and started pushing me forward, "Eh- Ano-"

"Come on, I'll walk you home."

"Eh-"

"Just go,"

I walked on my own with him behind me. Heiwajima Shizuo looked down at the ground and sighed. I looked forward and put my hands behind my back. Our walk was silent and slightly awkward.

"Why were you being chased?" he asked breaking the silence.

"When I was heading home, they just came talking to me." I told them, "I couldn't shake them off, so I ran."

"What are you doing out this late?"

"My train got delayed on my way back from Kanagawa." I replied and looked up to the sky, "I can't see the stars. I guess that's one negative."

The questions stopped and silence shrouded us again. I sighed and looked back down to the ground.

"Oi." I stopped and turned to him, "Where are you going?" He asked.

"Eh? Home."

Shizuo took her wrist and pulled her in a different direction.

"Eh? Chotto-!"

Next thing I know, I'm sitting on a sofa in a man's house dressed as a doctor.

"Uwa~ I'm surprised! Shizuo-kun brought a girlfriend!" the man exclaimed.

"I'm telling you, that's not it!"

I sat in the sofa looking up at the two.

"Then who is she? A friend?"

"She's-" Then Heiwajima Shizuo stared at me, "Oi."

"Hai?"

"Your name, what is it?" he asked.

"Aya, Ameya Aya."

"Heh~ so your Aya-chan." The doctor walked over to me with a first aid kit in his hand, "I'm Kishitani Shinra, I'm Shizuo-kun's childhood friend!" He introduced himself as he pulled out a few things from the first aid kit.

"Just hurry up and treat her cut."

"Hai, hai." Shinra sat down, "Turn this way."

"Ah- hai." I faced Shinra and he began cleaning my wound. After he was done with my forehead, he took my wrist.

"Let me take care of this too."

"Eh?" He pulled up my sleeve revealing a dark bruise. "Ah-"

"You didn't notice this?"

"No…" He got out a roll of bandage and began wrapping my arm.

While he was doing that, the door opened and someone walked in.

"Welcome home, Celty." Shinra said to the person as he finished wrapping my arm. I turned my head to meet a headless figure of a woman. The person put up a cell phone.

"I'm back, who is this?"

"She's Aya-chan! Shizuo's girlfriend." Then the phone hit the ground and the girl shook in shock.

"EH?"

The girl picked up her phone and typed in words as she shook.

"G-G-girlfriend?"

"That's not it!" Shizuo yelled.

I shook my head. "Heiwajima-san just helped me in a troublesome situation," I told the two. The girl's shoulder slouched as if she was sighing and typed down on to her phone.

"I see, sorry about causing a commotion." The girl wrote.

"Ah- It's okay." I told her.

"I'm Celty Sturluson. I live with Shinra."

"I'm Ameya Aya, pleasure to meet you, Celty-san." I said with a smile.

"Celty is fine, no need for formalities."

"Ah, hai." I got up, "I'll be heading home now, thank you very much for your help." I told Shinra.

"No problem! I'm glad to help!" He told me, "I hope you'll be Shizuo's girlfriend by the next time you come over!' Celty walked over to him and jabbed her fist in to his stomach. Shaking her neck, she turned to me.

"I'll take you home. It's late."

"Eh- no it's fine. My home isn't that far."

"It's dangerous for a woman to be out this late." Shinra told me, "And Shizuo just left."

"Ah, then…"

* * *

I got down on the back of Celty's black motorcycle and held on around her waist. We drove down the streets quickly and within minutes, I was in front of my apartment. I got off and handed Celty her helmet.

"Thanks again, Celty-chan."

"No problem, Aya-chan. See you around?"

"Hai!" I smiled and waved as I watched her leave. Taking a deep breath, I walked up to my room and entered dropping my back to the side.

"Tadaima-"

"Nee-san!" Nawaki came out running out to the entrance frantically, "Are you okay? You got me worried!" He saw my wounds. "What happened?! Where did you get these?!" he asked in complete panic.

"Gomen nee, the train got delayed and I almost got killed by a group of men, then Heiwajima-san saved me and took me to his friend's house to treat my cuts and then Celty-chan brought me home."

"Eh? Heiwajima-san? Friend's house? Celty-chan?"

"Ah! Celty-chan is a girl who rides a bike with the helmet-"

"Headless rider!?"

"Yeah! She was a nice person." I told him.

Nawaki stared at me with shock and disbelief on his face. He sighed.

"Nee-san, did you hit your head?"

"EH? No. Why?" He shook his head.

"Never mind." I took my shoes off.

"Okay, you should be sleeping, Nawaki."

"…Yeah…"


	5. Chapter 5: A refreshing deep breath

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. It took a while to write this one!**

**I do not own Durarara! and I only own my OCs**

**Enjoy!**

**CTS TT-TT**

* * *

**Chapter 5: A refreshing deep breath**

It's been a good month since Nawaki and I moved here to Ikebukuro, and we entered somewhat smoothly in the month of May even with all the things that happened. Nawaki seemed to be making good friends as I was getting use to my work schedule.

On a cold Tuesday, I looked out the window watching the harsh rain fall.

The sky as covered in dark grey clouds with blotches of white mixed in as rain pelted down hard on the cold earth. I sat quietly in my living room drinking a cup of tea.

Pretty much I was bored, stuck with an artist block for my next project and laying around in my house for the past few days. Sighing deeply, I looked down at the blank piece of paper in front of me.

"Ah~! NO good! I've got nothing," I groaned leaning against my chair. Closing my eyes, I listened to the still sounds around me, hoping they would give me some sort of inspiration.

"Nee-san! I'm back." I heard as the door clicked open. Sitting up, I turned to the door way.

"Okaeri, Nawaki." I got up from my seat and walked to the door, "How was your day-" I stopped not finishing my sentence, seeing my brother was completely drenched, in his he had his blazer jacket wrapped up in his arms "W-what happened?!"

"Sorry… I lost the umbrella in the winds and I had to keep her warm…"

"Her?" Nawaki lifted up his jacket and a small black head popped up shaking it's head. My eyes widened as I was greeted with green eyes and cute black ears.

"Nya~" a black kitten cried.

"Kawaiii~! I squealed. Nawaki smiled and sat her down, "Where did you find her?" I asked as I scooped her up in to my arms.

"I found her besides Russia Sushi. She was left in a box."

"Eh~!? Poor thing!" The cat rubbed herself in my arms and purred. Nawaki set a small plastic bag down, "What is that?"

"Oh, Simon-san gave me it. He was feeding her."

"Heh~ he's a nice person." Nawaki took his shoes off and walked to his room, "Take a shower, I'll get dinner warms up."

"Okay, Nee-chan."

I put the kitten down and walked to the kitchen to warm up the stew I made ahead of time. The kitten meowed again as she followed me to the kitchen. She rubbed her head against my leg and purred. I smiled at her and continued to set dinner. Nawaki walked out of the bathroom and sighed in relief. The kitten immediately went to her savior and purred. Nawaki smiled and picked her up. He sat down on to the couch.

"Nee-"

"Nee, why don't we keep her?" I suggested.

"Eh? Is that okay?"

"Yeah, the apartment allows animals." I walked over to the couch and leaned over Nawaki to pet the kitten. "What should be name her?"

"Noire?"

"Eh~?"

"Well, it's black."

"But isn't that a bit cliché?"

"Then you name her, Nee-chan." I looked at the kitten.

"Hm… Then Noru-chan."

"Noru-chan?" The cat looked up at me with her ears twitching.

"Do you like that name?" I asked her.

"Nya~" She responded.

"Then, Noru-chan it is." I picked her up and smiled, "Welcome to the family, Noru-chan." Noru looked up to me and purred. I laughed and kissed her ear, "Now! Let's have dinner!"

* * *

During this time, little did we know, there was someone waiting outside in the rain beside Russia Sushi to feed this stray kitten.

He stood out with looking at the empty box sitting outside with a small plastic bag in his hand. Not long later, he was seen by Simon.

"Oh! Shizuo! Did you come to eat sushi?" He asked him. Shizuo sighed and pushed up his glasses.

"No…" He replied.

"Oh, really? But sushi is good! You should eat-"

"Simon."

"Hm?"

"Where did the cat go?" He asked pointing to the empty box.

"Cat? Oh! A boy came and took the cat with him," Simon told him. Shizuo dropped his gaze to the box again.

"Really…" He turned away and sighed, "Maa, at least it has a home now."

Then he heading back to his home. Although he felt happy and relief for the small kitten, he couldn't help but feel lonely at the time.

* * *

~*~ Few Days Later

* * *

Although I was entertained by the new addition to my family, I decided to take a walk out to clear out the clouds that remained in my mind for the past few days.

Outside was clear and bright, as if a storm never hit the city (If you ignored the large puddles on the streets). Taking in a deep breath, I examined the row of color pallets in many different shades in the shelves of the art store. Taking a few color cards, I put them out in front of me.

Next theme for my requested painting was refreshing… well, I was in the wrong city and place…

After a few minutes, I was outside again in the park looking up at the sky. Stretching my arm, I rolled my shoulders and sighed. I looked down at the blank page of my sketch book with a pencil in my hands.

"Hm…" I sighed and dropped my head, "No good! I have nothing." I looked down at my hands, "Refreshing…" I closed my eyes and thought about things that were refreshing to me. Immediately, the person who was always refreshing filled my mind.

"_Aya," _

I heard his voice say. I opened my eyes and looked up to the clear blue sky. Putting my hands up, I framed a section of the sky with my fingers.

"Nii-san…" I thought. Just like the clear sky, my brother mind never seemed the have clouded and fade away from him. He was always moving forward without hesitation or fault.

I sighed again putting my hands on my lap, "I need to stop lingering in the past…"

"Ah, you," I snapped out of my thought and turned to Shizuo.

"Heiwajima-san?"

He stared at me for a moment before sighing. "Damn, what was your name?" I couldn't help but laugh a bit.

"I'm Aya, Ameya Aya." I told him.

"Oh yeah," He took a seat beside me.

"Oh, thank you for before. I never was able to properly thank you."

"Don't mind about it." He told me taking out a cigarette.

We sat in a silent moment, which felt very awkward for me. I looked down at my hands not knowing what to say.

"You-"

'Hai?" I responded quickly.

"You seemed depressed."

"Ah… maa, I'm rather troubled than depressed, probably."

"Probably?"

"Don't worry about it. It's about my work." I told him with a smile. Shizuo looked at me for a moment before suddenly patting my head with a small smile.

"Don't push yourself too much." My eyes slightly widened as I felt my cheeks heat up.

I looked down at the blank sketch book and began scribbling lines.

"Eh- Un- I-"

"Nya~!" I stopped and looked down at my feet to see Noru looking up at me. My eyes widened.

"N-Noru-chan!" I gasped.

"Nya~!" Noru jumped up and landed on to Shizuo's lap.

"Eh?"

"Oh, you." Shizuo showed another smile and rubbed Noru behind her ear, "Did you find a new home?" Noru meowed again and this time jumped in to my lap. She rubbed her head against my wrist. I smiled at her and petted her fur.

"How did you get out of the house?" I asked. Noru rubbed her head against my hand and purred. "Mou…"

Noru looked over to Shizuo and meowed at him. Shizuo reached over petted Noru softly. Watching him now, he seemed like a completely different person from the rumors I've heard. He's nice, he likes animals and he's very calm. He was nothing like the rumors I heard about.

"So you took her in?" Shizuo asked suddenly.

"Hai." I replied, "My younger brother brought her home a few days ago."

"Hm…"

"He always had a soft spot for animals," I told him, "When we lived in Kanagawa, he would always bring home a stray cat or dog and we would take care of it till we found an owner for it."

"You didn't keep them?"

"Our old apartment didn't allow pets." I held Noru in my arms and smiled at him.

"Oya~ look who we have here!" I nearly froze at the voice, "Aya-chan!" Orihara Izaya approached me with an annoying smile, "What are you doing here?"

"Geh-!"

"What do you mean 'Geh'? I'm hurt, Aya-chan."

I put a hand up, "Please don't come any closer… and don't call me Aya-chan," I told him straight out.

"Eh~ Why? It's cute."

I sighed and glanced to the side, "What's up with this person…?" I thought to myself.

"It's dangerous for you to be here."

"Eh?" I looked up to him with a confused look.

"Who knows what Sh-" Orihara Izaya jumped back dodging the parks trash can. I jumped at the sound the trash can made with the impact of the ground. I turned to a vexing Shizuo, "See, told you so!"

"Izaya! Get the hell out of Ikebukuro!" Shizuo yelled.

"Oh, Shizu-chan, are you mad?" Izaya provoked.

"Shut up!" Shizuo growled and went to grab the nearest bench. I don't know what got in to me next, but I found myself running towards him and grabbing his arm.

"Shizuo-kun, calm down!" I yelled. Shizuo looked back at me with a surprised look on his face. I held his hand and took a deep breath to calm myself down, "Take deep breaths and try to calm down." I told him calmly, "Nee?"

I felt the tension and anger he was harboring simmer down a bit, his expression soften a bit as well. I gave him a smile.

"See? Much better."

"…yeah…"

"That's good."

If only the problem ended at this. I turned to Orihara Izaya not knowing what to do by then. He just smirked and me and clapped.

"You're amazing, Aya-chan." He complimented, "This is the first time I saw someone tame Shizu-chan. I guess I was worried for no reason." My eyes narrowed.

"I'm quite capable of taking care of myself, Orihara-san." I sent back, "I never asked to be worried in the first place." His grin just grew then and shrugged.

"Don't say I didn't warn you…" then he finally left. Letting out a deep sigh, I dropped my head.

"Geez, what did I get myself mixed in to…" I thought to myself.

"Aren't you afraid of me?" Shizuo asked suddenly. I turned to Shizuo and walked over to him.

"No," I told him softly. Shizuo looked up at me and I answered his next question, "You don't seem like a bad person. Actually, You seem to be a better person than I am."

"Hm?" I went to get my bag and sketchpad and patted Noru-chan's fur.

"Now, it's about lunch time, want to go eat lunch?"

* * *

~*~ After Lunch…

* * *

Shizuo and I walked around the city through the large crowd of people. My eyes wandered around the places I've never seen or been too. Shizuo walked behind me, looking down at the ground.

"You're a strange person."

I turned to him, "Really?" I smiled, "Thanks." Shizuo gave me a strange look that caused me to laugh.

"Why are you thanking someone for calling you strange?"

I looked forward and smiled, "It's better than being called ordinary." I told him, "As an artist, I've been taught to see everything in different perspectives. So it's a compliment to be called strange."

"I don't get you."

"Really?" I looked up to the sky and I walked in front thinking of a way to explain it. I don't even know why… Just, I wanted to know more about Shizuo and I wanted him to know more about me, "Nee, what's the first thing that comes to you mind when you think 'refreshing'?" I asked.

"Ha?"

"Just asking." I glanced back at him as he thought.

"Hm…" He looked up, "They sky."

"Eh?" I turned to him, "Why?"

Shizuo thought about it again, "After a storm, I guess it's refreshing to see the clear sky…" He looked up through his shades, "Seeing the sunshine through, it's nice."

I thought about it myself, "The sky," I looked up, "After the storm…" Then my eyes widened, "Ah! I got it!" I exclaimed.

"Ha- Wha-"

"Thanks, Shizuo-kun!" I told him.

"What are you-"

"Sorry, I have to go now." I smiled, "I hope to see you again soon!" Shizuo looked at me surprise.

"A-aa." I lightly chuckled and waved heading down to the closest art store.


End file.
